Adam ascended the temple's cracked steps, stopping beside Khajiit's corpse. The pungent, faintly rancid stench of blood hung heavy.
Khajiit's head, eyes wide with unyielding resentment, lay severed to one side.
At the sight, Adam sighed softly.
Not out of pity, but a realization: he'd grown numb to such scenes. A month of slaughtering goblins in the Great Forest of Tob had hardened him.
In his past life, he'd never even killed a chicken. Yet, in just two months in this world, he'd adapted completely.
He picked up Khajiit's Shadow Staff and skull-adorned necklace, both magic items. The blood-red robe, another magic item, was ruined by the Archangel Flame's attack, a pity, as it could've fetched a good price.
Appraising the staff and necklace, Adam found them tied to necromancy, useless to him.
"You four, stay and guard outside." He ordered, pointing to four Archangel Flames.
With the remaining two, he descended into the temple's underground passage.
Seven or eight minutes later, he emerged, dusted with grime but empty-handed. The chamber held nothing of value, a letdown.
"Burn it." He commanded, waving at the archangels.
They advanced, their flaming swords igniting Khajiit's body, reducing it to ash in moments.
One archangel moved toward Khajiit's severed arm.
"Wait." Adam said suddenly.
He approached, picking up the arm and wrapping it in a scrap of cloth.
"Time to go."
Glancing at the distant city wall under the night sky, he retraced his steps.
Outside the sealed cemetery gate, watchtowers glowed with Continual Light.
Guards peered nervously toward the cemetery's depths.
"What's happening in there? Why's there light?" One whispered.
"Should we report it…?"
"Idiot!" Another hissed, voice trembling. "What's it got to do with us? It's nighttime."
"But-"
"No buts, fool! Our job's to stop undead from breaching the gate. Any rushing us now?"
"What happens in there isn't our problem. Report it at dawn; let the adventurers handle it."
Panicked voices echoed between the towers.
Adam, meanwhile, scaled the wall and vanished into the night.
Back at the inn, it was around 2 a.m.
Using an alley as a foothold, he climbed to the second floor, slipping through the window into his room.
"Woof!"
The Invisible Hound, seeing Adam, scrambled up, letting out an excited growl.
"Shh!" Adam pressed a finger to his lips.
"Whine~" The hound quieted, wagging its tail and nuzzling his leg.
"Good dawg." Adam chuckled, finding the Invisible Hound oddly dog-like.
"Time for a bath. I reek of decay."
He shed his black robe, tossing the cloth-wrapped arm into a corner.
In the cramped bathroom, he could've used Odorless to erase the smell, but a bath felt more refreshing.
Moments later, steam billowed as he emerged.
He caught the Invisible Hound sniffing the unwrapped arm, staring curiously.
"It's laced with negative energy. Eat it, and you'll die faster." Adam said dryly.
"Whine." Uncomprehending but sensing his tone, the hound shrank back, retreating.
Glancing at the pale, withered arm, Adam looked away. He wasn't some corpse-collecting creep.
He'd spared the arm when the archangel nearly burned it, recalling a detail from the anime: after Ainz, disguised as a Darkness adventurer, killed Khajiit and Clementine, their stored corpses vanished.
Ainz dismissed it, but Adam couldn't.
Two possibilities: someone stole them, implying Zurrernorn operatives in E-Rantel, or they were resurrected.
He'd brought the arm to test the latter. If a corpse was revived, its remnants vanished, reappearing at the caster's location.
Zurrernorn's leader was a mystery.
Adam suspected both Khajiit and Clementine, a defector from the Black Scripture, hailed from the Slane Theocracy.
Could Zurrernorn's leader also be from the Theocracy?
The Theocracy's Six Scriptures ostensibly served the Six Gods, but the Black Scripture, the strongest, drew elites from the others, a composite force, not tied to one god.
Five of the Six Gods, human players, died earliest. The Death God, a heteromorph, survived longest.
Yet, the Theocracy's Death God worshippers were curiously absent, as if they didn't exist publicly.
This fueled Adam's suspicion that Zurrernorn's leader was a Theocracy figure.
Resurrection magic fell under divine casting, inaccessible to arcane casters like Ainz, who relied on resurrection items and pay-to-win props, not the spell itself.
"Why's this world full of schemers?" Adam muttered, rubbing his temples, heading to bed.
"Woof!"
The Invisible Hound growled suddenly.
Adam froze, turning to see the hound staring warily at the arm.
Whoosh,
The arm glowed blue, then melted like snow, vanishing.
Buzz,
[Detected Skill: Resurrection · Modified. Requires Arcane Caster Level (29–35). Conditions Met.]
[Consume Skill Point to Learn?]
[Skill Points: 40 → 39]
Skill: Resurrection · Modified (Fifth Tier)
Cost: 25 (50)
Description: Originally divine Resurrection, modified to allow arcane casters to use it at double mana cost.
Note: Can be paired with special methods to reduce corpse condition requirements.
…
Adam's expression turned odd, a wry smile tugging at his lips. "Talk about bad luck. Not only was I wrong, but this leader's trickier than I thought."
Despite his words, his tone hinted at amusement.
…
In an unknown land, the earth gleamed a blood-soaked maroon. Invisible mist hung in the air, tinting moonlight a dark crimson.
"Caw!"
"Caw!"
Crow-like cries pierced the sky, not crows, but undead birds, their throats warped.
No living creature should exist here.
Unwillingness, rage, and despair churned in Khajiit's heart. Death's terror shook him.
Why was he conscious?
Wasn't he dead?
The thought flashed, triggering a reaction. His eyes snapped open.
"Huff! Huff! Huff!"
Khajiit bolted upright, gasping, fear and despair lingering in his gaze.
"Fascinating." A grating voice, like iron rods scraping, spoke ahead. "Weren't you in E-Rantel? That backwater shouldn't have anyone capable of threatening you."
Khajiit looked up, seeing a figure cloaked in darkness, not from clothing, but mana distorting reality, shrouding them in shadow.
"L-Leader." Khajiit stammered, scrambling to kneel.
***
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